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BBC<\/p>\nJonathan MorrisBBC News, South West and<\/p>\n
Tamsin MelvilleBBC News, Cornwall<\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n
Neil Hopper was motivated by sexual interest in amputation, the court heard<\/p>\n
An NHS vascular surgeon who had his own legs removed has admitted two counts of insurance fraud and three of possessing extreme pornography.<\/p>\n
Neil Hopper, 49, of Truro, Cornwall, carried out hundreds of amputation operations before having his own legs removed in 2019.<\/p>\n
Truro Crown Court heard he lied to insurers by claiming that injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and not self-inflicted.<\/p>\n
It heard that in May 2019 Hopper had below knee amputations after a “mysterious illness”. In fact he had used ice and dry ice to freeze his own legs so they had to be removed, said prosecutor Nicholas Lee.<\/p>\n
Tempted by ‘greed’<\/p>\n
The court heard Hopper had a “sexual interest in amputation”.<\/p>\n
Hopper had both legs amputated after complaining that his feet were in pain.<\/p>\n
He was treated for suspected sepsis before he was told by surgeons that he should have his legs amputated and he was operated on.<\/p>\n
He did not tell the medics the real cause of his injuries, the court heard.<\/p>\n
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Hopper had an obsession with removing parts of his own body, the court heard<\/p>\n
The fraudulent insurance claims from two firms totalled more than \u00a3466,000 the court heard.<\/p>\n
Hopper had been tempted by “greed” said Mr Lee.<\/p>\n
He had messaged a friend about the claims saying he should “milk it”, the court heard.<\/p>\n
More than \u00a350,000 of insurance money was sent to his wife, \u00a322,000 on a camper van, another \u00a3255,000 on building works and home improvements and a hot tub.<\/p>\n
He “enjoyed” the interest from the media in his case, Mr Lee told the court.<\/p>\n
“His motivations were a combination of obsession with removing parts of his own body and a sexual interest in doing so,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It seems to have been a long-standing ambition of his,” he said.<\/p>\n
‘Difficult to comprehend’<\/p>\n
After the amputations, he was back at work in just under six months with prosthetic legs.<\/p>\n
He was arrested in March 2023 and has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023.<\/p>\n
Andrew Langdon, KC, said in mitigation, that the offences had been a “shock” to friends.<\/p>\n
He said: “He [Hopper] has been committed to working to the service of others.<\/p>\n
“The whole saga is very difficult to comprehend.”<\/p>\n
Feet were ‘unwelcome extra’<\/p>\n
The extreme pornography offences were connected to videos of body mutilations that Hopper had purchased online and did not include children, the court heard.<\/p>\n
Hopper was identified following investigations into Marius Gustavson who ran the EunuchMaker website.<\/p>\n
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